Tears of the Devil
by Candified Chaos
Summary: Just because he left them, didn't mean they left his heart.


_His heart was beating faster than it every had before as he ran down the barely illuminated streets of Magnolia. He was fast, but he wasn't fast enough. He cursed at himself during the time he ran before he finally lost all his breath he had, but he didn't stop running. He didn't stop running even when it felt like his lungs were going to burst._

 _Swerving the corners, his legs becoming numb from the pain, Zeref didn't look back once. He didn't care if anyone was following him, if anyone was laughing at how...how weak he looked. The only thing that was on his mind was the beautiful blonde that had captured his heart. The beautiful blonde..._

 _Tears pierced his eyes as he thought about his pregnant wife being hurt for something he had done in the past. For the gangs he had led, the ones that corrupted him. But she made it all better. She was always able to make it all better. With that little smile she held that could light up his entire world. She was just perfect. An angel... yet he was the devil._

 _Zeref had thought he left that part of him behind...until an old friend, Hades, sparked it up in him and Zeref ended up continuing on with that life. He didn't let his wife know, he didn't want her being disappointed in him or risk losing her. He immediately regretted the decision though when one of his rival gangs decided that to take down the dragon, you tear the head apart emotionally..._

 _He ran up the stairs of their apartment building as fast as he could, ignoring any pain he felt as he darted towards his door. He didn't bother checking if it was unlocked or getting out his key as he kicked the door open. It went open smoothly, showing that it wasn't locked. Which wasn't a good sign at all._

 _Panic rose in Zeref's throat as he went into the apartment that he learned to love so much because it always held the scent of her. The panic worsened as he looked around the place to see it a complete mess, the table was broken in half, chair pushed over, couch tipped, and TV completely smashed. But he saw no sign of his wife._

 _He ran into the other rooms, the office, the bathroom, until he came to his room to finally see the bloody mess. A man towered over Zeref's unconscious and naked wife, the man also naked. His wife was full of blood, and Zeref could only hope that it was the man's and not hers but Zeref wasn't an idiot._

 _Rage filled Zeref's eyes as he glared at the man, who only smirked and licked his lips as a response._

 _Zeref's body moved by itself, his brain unable to comprehend anything as he grabbed the man's head and smashed it into the wall. Blood trickled down his forehead but Zeref wasn't satisfied yet. He smashed in the man's head multiple times until there was a hole in the wall and the man was knocked out. He still didn't stop though. Instead of letting it go, Zeref threw him to the ground and started to kick him. He kicked and kicked, not stopping even when he heard the crunch of the man's ribs. There was a wicked, vengeful look in Zeref's eyes that most would've run away from. This man didn't have the chance to run and now had to suffer the consequences._

 _A small cough was heard from the blonde sprawled out on the bed, completely snapping Zeref out of his trance as his head jerked towards her. He instantly forgot about the newly bloodied man on the ground as he ran towards the woman and slowly picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He looked down at her softly and gently wiped some of the blood off her face so he could see her more clearly. He could see the person that he loved so dearly. He pulled her closed and let her rest her head on his chest as tears fell from his eyes at the realization that this was all his fault. That he loved her so she was hurt...badly._

 _And that was the night the devil cried._

* * *

"Mommy, are you okay?" A little girl with long, wavy, black hair said to her mother. Her mother wasn't much taller than her, but tall enough. She had the same type of hair just like the little girl, but it was blonde instead. She seemed fairly happy though, most strangers wouldn't have been able to see the sadness in her eyes. Her daughter could though, because her daughter was the closest person to her, especially since her husband left without a word on the night she was attacked. He didn't even show up when their daughter was born prematurely because of that assault. It hurt Mavis dearly, but she never resented Zeref for leaving her. She just..wished he was back.

"I'm fine sweetie." Mavis said softly to her daughter, only about eleven years old.

"Promise?" The little girl asked with a quiet pout, sitting at the dining table as she finished off her whole grain cereal.

"Promise." Mavis nodded and smiled slightly before kissing her forehead, "Now you hurry up and finish your cereal okay? Then Mommy can get to work faster."

The little girl grinned and the small kiss then nodded rapidly before trying to power eat her cereal. Mavis giggled lightly at her daughter's antics as she finished up making her child's lunch.

A few minutes passed by before the girl jumped off the chair with her empty bowl and ran to the sink, quickly letting the water wash it out as her grin brightened even more, "All done!"

"I can see that." Mavis smiled and handed her daughter her lunch, who quickly placed it in her Wonder Woman backpack before charging for the door. Mavis walked over as well and opened the door for them both. The girl smiled excitedly then skipped out the door, Mavis following quietly behind her, locking the door when she finished before the two headed out of the apartment building.

* * *

"Crap." Mavis grumbled on the bus to her work. None of the other passengers sent her any type of look as she sunk down lower in her chair as the realization hit her. She forgot to make her own lunch. And she didn't have enough time to head back home to grab her lunch since there was a deadline due today nor had she been paid that week yet so she couldn't even think of wasting that money on fast food or anything when her daughter's birthday was coming up. Mavis was determined not to let her daughter down this year, just like she had with other years. So she had been saving up any non grocery or clothes money to get her a really big present. And if her daughter's happiness meant she had to skip a meal then Mavis was fine with that.

It's not like she's never skipped a meal before.

"Um, lady, I think this is your stop." a hooded man said and tapped Mavis' shoulder, forcing her out of her thoughts.

"Oh..thank you." Mavis mumbled and went to look at him but he only turned his head away from her before she could see his face, she was only able to catch a glimpse of his raven hair. She didn't think much of it though as she stood up and walked off the bus then towards her office building before she realized something. She never actually said her bus stop to the driver or anything...

She sighed and shook her head at the creepy thought, figuring he was just on the bus with her a lot and she never noticed him.

Mavis walked into the office building, happy to have that thought out of her head.

* * *

"Wow, look at her." A voice said behind the eleven year old girl as she walked off the bus and towards her class, clutching onto her bag tightly while trying to ignore the painfully familiar voice.

"She looks so stupid. Look, her hair is even braided today." Another voice laughed at her, "So stupid."

"I know right?" The third one laughed as well.

The eleven year old sped up her pace a little, still trying hard to ignore them but she knew how it was. It was always like this. Those three girls always had to be better than everyone else, even if they were fourteen and she was only eleven.

"She's so childish." The first one snorted again, "And poor."

The girl tensed up at what they said but didn't stop walking or even look back.

"I heard her mom's a prostitute."

That's when the girl froze in her steps and looked back at them, clearly upset and angry too, "Shut up." she snapped at them.

The three girls stopped and stared at her with wide eyes, frozen for a moment at the fact that she stood up for herself before they regained their senses.

"Or what?" The third one asked with a smirk, "You'll fight us?"

The girl didn't say anything and just glared at them, "My mom's not a prostitute."

"Aww does the wittle girl know what grown up words mean?" The first one asked and leaned down to meet the girl's eyes, "In the case, you should know that she definitely is. She's a stupid slutty hooker that doesn't get any guys because she's too ugly and that's why you're so poor."

The girl clenched her teeth, rage filling her chest and her hands formed a fist like she was ready to fight them. She had gotten into fights before, but her mother was always the one that got in trouble when she did so she eventually stopped and decided to just take all the insults. But now that they're talking about her mother..

"That's enough girls." A voice spoke from behind the three girls and they each looked up to see a pink haired teacher, Mr. Dragneel.

The three girls instantly paled when they saw him but one of them recovered much quicker than the others, "Mr. Dragneel! Thank goodness! She was saying that we're all sluts and it looked like she was about to attack us!" the second one exclaimed.

The little girl widened her eyes, fearing that Mr. Dragneel would take their word for it.

"That's not true and you know it." He said harshly and glared at them all, crossing his arms as he did, "I have a very reliable source that told me about you three bullying this little girl and it ends here."

"But-" one of them tried to argue but he cut them off.

"No buts." Mr. Dragneel said sternly, "Now go to the office."

The girls looked at the ground and grumbled a little before they finally headed towards the principal's office.

Mr. Dragneel let out an exhausted sigh before turning around to follow them there but the little girl stopped him. "Wait!" she called out, looking at him with thankful eyes as he looked back.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Wh-Who told you they were bullying me?" She asked shyly, looking at the ground when she did.

The pink haired teacher smiled at her, "A relative." he said simply before walking away, leaving the girl in complete confusion.

A relative..?

* * *

Soon lunch rolled around again, just like it did every day and Mavis could already hear her stomach grumbling. She sighed and cursed that fact that she only had protein bar for breakfast. She pushed away the hunger as she kept typing up stupid facts on the computer and answering calls for her customer service computer. Mavis didn't mind the job at first, and she normally liked helping people out but these people could be so intolerable and stubborn sometimes. Never listening to facts and blaming it all on her. Honestly they just made her job more stressful...and stressful customers were not needed in her life right now. Sadly, they were an obligation since she couldn't find another job.

"Hello? Miss?" A voice said behind Mavis, but she completely ignored it as she tried to fix a problem for one of the nicer customers. Now those people she was fine with helping out. And it was always nice to hear a thank you.

"Miss?"

Mavis sighed with a frown as she continued to type, her eyes finally brightening up when she found the solution and quite quickly informed the customer of how to fix the problem. The customer was able to thanks to Mavis and hung up after thanking her for helping out.

"MAVIS!" Someone yelled from nearby the blonde, making her jump instantly at the sudden shout and looked over at the man who yelled at her. The man just sighed and shook his head like she was an idiot before pointing to the person who was standing behind Mavis with a box.

Mavis blinked and looked up at the strange man, "Hello?

"Are you Mavis Vermillion?" He asked, looking down at the sheet on the box just to make she he was saying it right.

Mavis didn't say anything, she just nodded, having no clue what was going on.

"Oh, well this is for you." He replied and handed her the box.

Mavis was silent once more as she took the box. The man waited there for a few seconds, obviously feeling awkward about this interaction before just leaving without so much of a goodbye.

"Wha..?" Mavis asked quietly to herself as she placed the box on the table in front of her, slowly opening to find a tray of her favourite and expensive sushi. That didn't help her confusion at all.

She looked around at her coworkers, wondering if they did something but she seriously doubted it. Mavis was smart and able to handle most of the problems, so she was the one favoured by most higher ups...which brought a lot of jealousy towards her from the others. She then thought that it may have been a mistake but her name was clearly stated.

Suddenly her stomach grumbled again, mainly telling her to stop thinking too much about it and just eat it. Which she did, despite how odd this was and the fact that it may be dangerous...she was hungry. The sushi tasted wonderful, and it even had a bit of extra spice in it, just like how Mavis always enjoyed it before when she could afford it...which was a long time ago.

She sighed softly at the nostalgic memories the the sushi brought pouring into her head. Tears pricked at her eyes as she finished eating the sushi and then she just smiled before staring off into space, not caring about what other people would think as she got lost in memory lane.

* * *

"Mommy..why is no one here?" The eleven year old girl asked quietly to Mavis, sitting on the bench at the park, waiting for her classmates to show up for her birthday party. No one was though. Apparently word got around by the fourteen year olds that she was a tattle tale and that definitely didn't help her gain her popularity, even if the whole fiasco did happen a week ago.

"People will come, I'm sure of it." Mavis reassured her daughter softly and gave her a hug, not believing her own words. Her daughter believed her mother though and hugged Mavis back, smiling a little at the reassurance.

But soon, an hour passed by and no one showed.

The little girl sighed as she swung on the swings, her mother sitting beside her on her own swing, really ticked off at the girl's classmates now for not showing.

"I'm really sorry sweetie." Mavis sighed as she looked at her daughter, just wishing she was able to be actually happy for once.

"It's okay Mommy." The girl said and forced a smile on her face, wanting her mom to feel better about this but Mavis knew that smile all too well.

Mavis didn't say anything this time as she reached over to the side to pick up the wrapped present she had for her daughter laying in the sand, hoping that could cheer her up at least a little bit.

"Hello." A voice said in front of them, stopping Mavis from grabbing the wrapped present and looking up to see a girl in a very skimpy outfit and green hair. Instantly alarmed by the woman since she was a stranger and wore biker like clothing, Mavis grabbed onto the chain of her daughter's swing but didn't hold on tight enough to stop her from swinging.

"Hi.." Mavis mumbled, her daughter looking at the green haired woman curiously.

"Me and my friends are here for the birthday party, are you the Vermillion household?" The green haired girl asked then gestured to eleven other people, none of them familiar to Mavis, all gathered around a park bench with a ton of wrapped presents and a giant cake.

"We are." Mavis nodded, honestly confused by this point.

"Well we're a biker group called the Spriggan Twelve and we're a really big fan of your blog 'Do Fairies have Tails?'" The woman said but didn't quite smile yet, "And we noticed that it was your daughter's birthday so we came to come celebrate with her, is that okay?" she asked as the daughter saw the group of eleven and perked up immediately when she saw the cake but didn't say anything, just looking at her mother hopefully.

Mavis couldn't help but smile when she heard that and looked at the odd group of people, for some reason finding them trustworthy even though she didn't know them at all, "That would be lovely." She finally said and her daughter happily jumped off the swing.

The green haired woman smiled a bit at the little girl before turning on her heel to direct the two over to the park bench where the rest of the group waited.

They served the ice cream cake first, which was much better than the cupcakes Mavis planned to buy when the other guests showed up. And her daughter loved the ice cream cake, which was obvious by the way it ended up all over her face. Mavis smiled the whole time the strange adults played with her daughter, all of them eager to play any game she wanted despite all of their age differences. And they presents they got her were perfect, exactly the type of stuff her daughter liked. Her daughter loved the necklace her mother got her the most though, the necklace with an odd symbol that meant the world to Mavis. It made her so happy that her daughter loved it as much as she did.

"This is wonderful." Mavis said to the green haired lady sitting next to her as her daughter played the game Jackpot with all the other members, "Thank you so much for all of this."

"Don't thank us." The woman said, no hint of a smile on her face as she watched her friends play with the little girl.

"What do you mean?" Mavis questioned her curiously.

"You know what I mean." She replied, her eyes finally meeting Mavis and they looked stern but soft as well, "And you know who you should thank as well."

Mavis froze slightly, her eyes drifting to the hooded man that had been at the park the whole time Mavis and her daughter was there, never once being at an angle where Mavis could see his face. Yet she caught a glimpse of raven hair again when the man quickly turned away.

"Yes..." Mavis nodded as she smiled softly, a small blush forming her face when she did, "I do."


End file.
